Tiger`s Jaw Succulent- Moody, Dangerous and Unique

If you have to double-check to make sure that in the pot is not something that can easily bite you, you don’t need the explanation where the name of this succulent is coming from. Faucaria Tugrina aka Tiger`s Jaw is something you don’t see every day in succulent collections. This amazingly looking plant is quite exotic, yet so easy to grow. With just a little love, this little bad boy will live happily and healthy in your household.

Tiger`s Jaw– Little Beast Among Succulents

Faucaria Tugrina (Tiger`s Jaw) is an adorable little succulent beast. There’s really no other way to perceive a plant that looks like this. At first glance, Tiger`s Jaw looks scary and dangerous, but everybody falls in love with it in no time. It’s a stemless succulent with bright green, plump, triangular leaves that form a star-shaped rosette. This succulent can grow up to 6 inches (15 cm) with leaves up to 2 inches (5 cm) long.

The leaves are what makes this succulent this unique. They grow in clumps, with menacing, sharp, teeth-like structures on the side, ten of them on every leaf. They are there for defense from predators in the natural habitat. Also, Tiger`s Jaw uses these “teeth” to trap water vapor from the air and deliver it to the roots. Tiger`s Jaw`s leaves have a rough texture thanks to spaced out white striations. If this succulent is “happily stressed”, it develops deep purple or pink outlines on the leaves.

Besides unusual leaves, Tiger`s Jaw has beautiful bright yellow flowers. They appear from early fall to winter, opening at midday and closing back just before the sunset. on cloudy days, flowers will remain closed.

Grow and Care Tips

Tiger`s Jaw loves warm climates. It will thrive in temperatures between 70°F and 90°F (21°C and 32°C). If you live in areas with higher temperatures than that, you should provide your succulent with partial shade. In higher and lower temperatures than it can bear, Tiger`s Jaw just stops growing and reduce the water intake. It’s not particularly cold-hardy. If you’re growing this succulent outside and temperatures get below 60°F (16°C) for a few days, you should bring it inside and place it near the bright window.

Tiger`s Jaw needs well-draining soil. Think a cactus mix with some larger particles added, like small rocks or perlite. As for watering, you should do that when the soil is dried out completely. Tiger`s Jaw will withstand some drought during, even during the summer, but it won’t tolerate “wet feet”. Overwatering causes a root rotting pretty quickly and you won’t be able to recover the plant from that. To provoke blooming, you should expose Tiger`s Jaw to direct sunlight for at leans 3 hours a day.

Tiger`s Jaw has a pretty small root system, so you can easily grow it in a shallow container. It won’t need to be repotted that often, but keep the eye on the leaves. If you notice they are losing color or become mushy, repot the plant in a fresh soil mix and add some mild fertilizer to bring it back to life again.

Propagation

Tiger`s Jaw is easily propagated from leaf cuttings. All you have to do is get a clean cut of one healthy leaf, leave it to callus for few days in partial shade and plant it in a well-draining, rocky soil mix. After you plant a new cutting, leave it be for about 3 days. After this period passes and the new baby acclimate to the conditions, you should start watering it like you would with a mature plant.

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